The past isn’t all that bright, as many history buffs will know. In just the last century, more human deaths have occurred through war than in any other century in history.
Still, history holds a lot of learning moments for us, even in its darker moments.
With the invention of photography in 1826 and the subsequent popularization and mobilization of it, those moments could be recorded.
Let’s look through 20 important but disturbing photos. It’ll be strange, sad, but full of lessons and rare moments.
1. A Black Man at a Klan Rally
Taken in 1950, this photo shows a Black man attending a KKK Rally in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Klan was prohibited from burning crosses (as can be seen in the back right) but often met to preserve white supremacist ideology.
You can also see kids taken by their parents on the left side.
2. Atomic Test
Nevada was the most common state for nuclear testing that went on during the Cold War.
Often, you could see the miles-high mushroom clouds rising in the distance as the military tested their newer and scarier bombs.
These guys were having a pool day when they all stopped to watch.
3. French Nurses in the Trenches
Since artillery was so commonly used, nurses in combat-intensive areas had to be careful when they traveled outside.
This photo shows French nurses traveling between wards through trenches, although the buildings are only a few meters apart.
4. Women in the Counter-resistance
The Armenian Genocide is one of the least talked about mass killings in history.
It involved the systematic killing of any ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. It resulted in approximately 1 million deaths, although that number could be higher.
The Armenian Resistance were grouped in small pockets and fought against the ethnic cleansing. These two women were fighters.
5. Bund Rally in Madison Square Garden
The German-American Bund Party hosted a rally in NYC in 1939. It was to “celebrate” the country and was labeled as a “pro-American rally.”
When they finally started, 20,000 people were in attendance and George Washington was projected onto the building alongside American flags and…swastikas.
The Bund was openly in support of Hitler and the rise of Fascism and they had just convinced 20,000 people in the United States to attend their rally.
6. WWI Equipment
This photo shows a British soldier training around 1941.
Although the world was about to enter into WWII, the soldier is preparing for the worst in WWI-era gear, as can be seen with the gas mask and bayonetted rifle.
7. Holocaust Wedding Rings
When the Nazis would kill large numbers of Jewish people in their concentration camps, they would often collect their valuables and jewelry.
This box contained all the wedding rings from a camp in 1945.
It’s haunting to imagine all the people that wore these rings, as well as the love that they represent.
8. Otto Frank’s Attic
Anne Franke, the young writer of the now-famous journal describing her time spent hiding in an attic from the Germans, wasn’t alone. She had her family with her and when the war was over, her father went back to visit.
Otto Frank is depicted standing in silence, solemnly remembering.
9. Prisoners in Austria
Taken in 1945, this photo shows holocaust survivors from the Ebensee concentration camp as they experience freedom for the first time in a very long time.
They are emaciated, traumatized, and close to death… but they are free.
10. Coal Miners in Belgium
Coal mines have never been nice places to visit, let alone work.
When the world ran on coal (keep in mind it still does in many places), coal mining was a major occupation.
This photo shows miners about to head down a shaft to work in the 1900s in Belgium.
11. Texas Dust Bowl
In 1935 this photo was captured as dust storms ravaged parts of the U.S.
It depicts an encroaching dust storm on a house in Stratford, Texas.
During the 30s, poor farming practices killed off the native plant life in the Midwest, allowing soil to dry and create massive storms that traveled all the way to London, England.
12. The Death of James Dean
James Dean, the American iconoclast, died on September 30th, 1955.
This photo was taken at the site of his car accident.
It’s pretty clear how bad the incident was with how visible all the twisted metal is.
13. Cathedral of Light Rally
This rally was held by the Nazis in Nuremberg in the 1930s.
The stadium was created by placing anti-aircraft lights around the stands that would shoot bars of light into the air, making the space feel more enclosed.
The radical fascism taking over the country would soon lead to WWII.
14. Day’s Worth of Shells
In 1916, during the first World War, artillery was being fired constantly.
This is a photo of 105-mm shell casings from a single day’s worth of firing.
It stretches as far as the eye can see.
15. Hiroshima Shadow
Two atomic bombs were dropped during WWII. One on Nagasaki and the other on Hiroshima.
This photo shows the shadow left by a body of a man sitting on the steps of the Sumitomo Bank branch in 1945. When the bomb went off, the heat flash vaporized him.
16. Kamikaze’s Shadow
The HMS Sussex was a WWII ship.
When Americans started gaining ground (and sea) against Japan, the Japanese activated their Kamikaze’s, suicidal fighter pilots who flew into enemy ships.
The pilots would never survive, but the ships occasionally did. This is the result.
17. Japanese Family Returns Home
During WWII, the government mandated that many Japanese-American families be sent to internment camps around the country. It was done out of fear.
When many returned home, they were ostracized and their property vandalized.
18. Manager Forces Out Black Protesters
Depicted is hotel manager James Brock as he attempts to remove protesters in his pool.
His hotel, the Monson Motor Lodge, was segregated and wouldn’t allow “Blacks” into their “white” pool.
When protesters showed up and refused to leave, his solution was to dump muriatic acid into the pool to burn them out.
19. Chinese and Korean Soldiers
During the Korean War, Chinese troops were sent to the north to help fight against the Americans and South Koreans.
Depicted in this photo are Chinese soldiers recently captured, begging for their lives.
They feared execution at the hands of the South Korean soldiers.
20. Jobs or Death
In this heart-wrenching photo, we see a man during the Great Depression hoping to find a place for his wife and unborn child.
If he couldn’t find a place, even an unfurnished one, he felt he didn’t have a reason to live.
The good things that we have today (relative stability, democracy, and freedoms) didn’t come without a cost.
History shows us who we were so we can decide who we can want to be.
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